I sheets-sheet



Dec. 26, 1922. 1,440,106.

E. H. ROTHERT.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC SMBtTING 0F ORES.

nuzn warn. 1921. ZSHEEIS-SHEET 1.

Dec. 26, 12222. 1,440,106..

E. H. ROTHERT.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRlC SMELTING 0F ORES.

FILED JUNE 14. I921. $MEETSSMEET 2-.

Patented Dec. 26, 1922.

UNITED STATES EDWARD H. ROTHERT, 01- SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

PROCESS AND APIARATUS FOR ELECTRIC SMELIING OF ORES.

Application filed June 14,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. Ro'rnrxrr, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and resident of the city ufSeattle, in the county of Kingand State of Washington. have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes and Apparatus for Electric Smeltin of Ores,"ofwhich the "E01 lowing is a'speci cation.

My invention relates'to a process and apparatus for the electricsmelting of ores.

The object/of my invention is to produce an improved'p'rocessaiid'apparatu's for carrying it out wherein the refining of theniolten metal may be doii'e in the same furnace in which it hasbeen'reduced or smelted from the ores.

In' the accompanying drawings I have shown in a simple and somewhatdiagrammatic manner, anapparatus made upon the principle ofmy'inventionand will hereinafter describe the construction thereof andthe manna-"of using the same in'carrying out my process. 7

That which I consider novel and upon which I desire to secure a patentwill be specifically defined by the claims.

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in plan, of the apparatus employed.Figure 2 is a planview of the same apparatus.

Figure 3 is a section through the furnace roof and the sleeve valve bywhich orefeed is controlled.

Figure 4 is a section illustrating the construction of the individualore roasting c'ontainers.

The furnace 1 is lar ely of a standard type of construction. t has ahearth 10 which is provided with a tap hole 11 through which the metalis drawn off when desired, It also has doors or working openings 12through which or through other elevated openings the slag may be drawnoil and refining and modifying charges may be added. It also has theelectrodes 2 and a charging opening 13 in its roof. The particularconstruction of these parts shown are given merely to illustrate amechanism and type of apparatus which may be used to carry out myinvention and not in any sense as limit, ing my invention to thespecific constructions shown.

At a point which is elevated relative to the furnace. is a chamber 3within which are a series of ore roasting chambers 4 open at 1921.Serial No. 477,421.

top and bottom. A removable lid or cover 40 closes the upper end of eachand a slidable plate 41 mounted upon rollers 41, or in any othersuitable manner, closes the bottom of each. The slides 41 are separately'movable to open and to close the chambers 4. The operating mechanismshown consists of a lever 43 pivotally mounted at 44 upon a bracketor'arm 45 and connected with an arm 46 extending from plate 41, as by alink 47.

The chamber 3 is larger than the ore receiving containers 4 enough sothat there is an open space all around said containers. Into thischamber is conducted heated gases from the furnace 1, by means of theconnecting pipe 30. A stack 31 discharges the waste gases from thechamber 3. I

As an additional means for heating the ore roasting containers, whichmeans may at times be the chief means and which at other times may beonly supplemental or entirely dispensed with, I have provided an oilburner or supply pipe 5 and a surrounding air supply pipe 50, whichreceives the discharge from a fan 52, or other source of supply of airunder pressure. The oil supplv pipe may have a section as 51, locatedwithin the stack 31 or otherwim heated.

Beneath the chamber 3 in which the ore is roasted and preliminarilyheated, is a hopper 6 of sufficient size to receive ore dis charged fromall of the containers 4. A feed screw conveys the ore in a steady anduniform manner to the furnace.

The ore discharge is through a controlling device which may be called avalve. It has an'outer casing or barrel 7 into one end of which the oreisfed and from the other end the gases received from the furnace aredischarged into the fine 30. It has a side opening connecting, as by asleeve 70. with the ore charging opening in the top of the furnace.

Within this casing is a rotatable sleeve 8 which is open at both endsand has a side opening 80. adapted when properly p0si tionecl toregister with the bottom discharge opening of the outer casing 7. \Vhenturned to the position shown in Figure 3. the dis charge of ore to thefurnace is prevented by the closure of the opening 13. The sleeverotation may be secured by any suitable means. The means illustratedconsists of a toothed segment S! on the sleeve 8 and a worm 82 journalcdin the casing T.

The operation of the furnace is as folfor carrying on lows: ,Wewillfirst assume-that theappara tus hasibeen heated to a suitabletemperature the Work. The ore roasting containers 4 are charged and theore heated. These are in turn and at such intervals as required, dischared into the hopper 6, from which the ore is's owly and continuously fedinto the furnace where it is subjected-t0 the reducing action of theelectric arc. The ore containers-{1,418 discharged are refilled withore. The hot gases generated in the furnace l escape lilllOufil:the-opening 13, casing 7 andipe 30 to t e ore roasting chamber 3.

on this has reached the point where the-desired amount of molten=metalhas been produced, the feeding-of ore is stopped and the refiningtreatment begins. It is 0 course understood that removal of theslag isprovided for either through the openings 12 or such.other openings asmay be required.

At this time, or at any later period desired, the sleeveS is turned toclose communication .with the ore roasting and supplying parts of the.ap aratus. The furnace can then be operate as a closed furnace. Suchrefining or modifying components as it may be desired to incorporate inthe metal may be introduced through the openings 12. or'otherwise andthe contentssubjected to the heat of the furnace as long as necessary ordesired. The furnace .may be operated successively as a reducing orsmelting furnace and as ea refining furnace. the molten metal not beingdischarged or cooled until it has'been refined and made of the exactcomposition desired for the finishedametal.

The molten metal may be discharged from the furnace by opening a pouringhole, as 11, by tilting, if the furnace be of that type, or in anysuitable manner. If the furnace be of a tilting type, the casing 7should not be mounted upon or secured to the furnace. but bedisconnectible therefrom.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An electric smelting apparatus comprising a furnace having reducingelectrodes therein, ore roasting containers, means for applying heat.generated in the furnace to said ore roasting containers andcontrollable means for positively feeding ore discharged from saidcontainers into the furnace.

2. An electric smelting apparatus having a reducing furnace andelectrodes therein. a series of ore roasting containers, a hopperadapted to receixe the discharge from all said ore roasting containers.means for regularly feeding roasted oreifrom said hopper to the furnaceand means for closing the ore receiving opening of said furnace wherebythe same furnace may be operated as a finishing furnace.

3. An electric smelting .apparatus comprising a. furnace havingelectrodes therein, a series of ore roasting containers'and a heatingenclosure surrounding :said. containers, a hopper adapted .to receive.the ore as discharged from said containers, means for feeding ore fromsaid hopper to the furnace. and means' for conducting heat from saidfurnace-to theienclosure which contains .the ore roasting containers.

4. An electric smelting. furnace comprising a furnace and electrodestherein, .said furnace having an ore charging opening in its top, meansfor-feeding orelthrough .said opening and a valve for closingsaidopening, consisting ofa rotatable shell having a feed discharge openingin its .sideadapted to ,be turned into and .out of ,registry with thecharging opening of the furnace.

5. The process of electric smelting and refining of metals whichconsists in reducing the ore by the action .of an electricarc thereon ina furnac e,.and then refining the molten metal in the same furnace.

6. The process of electric. smelting of ores which consists in forming areducing arc in a furnace feeding the ore to the furnace so as to .beacted upon by the .arc to reduce it, drawing oil the. slag, cuttingofftlie ore sup ply and refining the ore in the same furnace.

Signed at Seattle. King County, Washington. this 9th day of June, 1921.

EDWARD H. ROTHERT.

